Exclusive: Make the “PLEDGE” as hazing horror film gets release date

A frightening fraternity is the focus of PLEDGE, which made its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia festival, and we got the exclusive word that it now has a date for wider exposure.

RUE MORGUE has learned that IFC Midnight will release PLEDGE to select theaters and on VOD January 11. Directed by Daniel Robbins from a script by Zachary Weiner, it stars Weiner along with Zachery Byrd, Aaron Dalla Villa, Phillip Botello, Jesse Pimentel, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Joe Gallagher, Jean-Louis Droulers and Erica Boozer. The synopsis: “Three nerdy college freshmen, Ethan [Botello], David [Weiner] and Justin [Byrd], are having a tough time adjusting to college life. Rejected and ridiculed by just about every fraternity on campus, they are prepared to give up all hope. That is, until a girl invites them off campus to a party at a secluded mansion. They are not only invited in, but also treated like princes by the resident brothers. The party is everything they dreamed college would be—beautiful women, drinking and most importantly, a cool group of guys willing to accept them as one of their own. When the friends are presented with an opportunity to pledge the elite social club, they accept without hesitation. However, as the gruesome, dehumanizing hazing progresses, a more sinister picture of the club emerges.”

“When we made the film,” Robbins says, “Zack [Weiner], Mark [Rapaport, producer] and I explored our own personal questions surrounding toxic masculinity/capitalism/acceptance and how they feed off each other. The film happens to come out in a climate where these themes have particular relevance, and we appreciate IFC for committing to give the film a theatrical run across the country.”

Michael Gingold (RUE MORGUE's Head Writer) has been covering the world of horror cinema for over three decades, and spent 28 years as a writer and editor for FANGORIA magazine and its website. In addition to RUE MORGUE, he currently writes for BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH, SCREAM, IndieWire.com, TIME OUT, DELIRIUM and others. His book THE FRIGHTFEST GUIDE TO MONSTER MOVIES (FAB Press) is out this fall, and he has contributed liner notes and featurettes to a number of Blu-ray and DVD releases. Among his screenplay credits are SHADOW: DEAD RIOT and LEECHES!, and he is currently working on THE DOLL with director Dante Tomaselli.